


Sidewalk Goose

by thelovelydark



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, This Is STUPID, also IM BAD AT DIALOGUE please forgive me, and by that i mean i took pieces without remorse, and knocked the rest down, and probably way out of character, but let me live in my little fantasy world, i took the timeline and played jenga with it, no sir i've never heard of a beta in my life, oh yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28122543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelovelydark/pseuds/thelovelydark
Summary: So, no, Tony doesn’t want to be alone this year. But the Avengers didn’t ask, and he didn’t say.(Or, December 16th has rolled around again.)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 68





	Sidewalk Goose

**Author's Note:**

> hi Please don't ask me what this is . don't perceive me this is purely self indulgent  
> anyway a few notes:   
> \- it's not said, but this is an au where after catws steve actually fucking sits tony down and tells him about his parents and bucky they find him sooner  
> \- therefore we still have jarvis bc i love him  
> \- i wrote this all in one sitting and did not edit At All  
> \- also i kinda wrote this in a different style than usual?? idk how well it worked but . ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Tony hadn’t spent December 16th on his own since the date became one of significance. Every year it came, and despite him never asking, every year he inevitably had someone to keep him company. 

Every year until now, that is. And he understands, really, he does; his friends have their own lives and obligations that they have to take care of. If it was five years ago, he would have taken it in stride and just spent the day working.

It’s just… five years ago, he was still under the impression that Howard and Maria Stark had died in a car accident. 

So, no, Tony doesn’t want to be alone this year. But the Avengers didn’t ask, and he didn’t say. 

▲▼▲

It’s awkward to adjust the volume knob with your right hand while sitting in the passenger seat of a car. It’s even more awkward when you have the now motionless hunk of metal that is your left arm hindering your movement. 

Bucky… Bucky doesn’t know how it happened. Well, okay, he does, but he doesn’t want to believe it. He’s had this arm for decades. He was an  _ assassin, _ and the arm held up just fine. 

So of course it’s when he’s accidentally pushed (by Steve) and tripped (by Sam) at the same time that he goes and falls on it at just the right angle for it to break. 

Because that makes sense.

It’s not even that he’s attached to the arm, because he isn’t. HYDRA forced it upon him, made him into their weapon, into the Asset. He just can’t believe that of all things, a sidewalk is what made it cease functioning. 

Next to him, Steve opens his mouth, and Bucky glares until he closes it. He doesn’t want to rehash the same argument over again. 

Logically, he knows Steve is right, that he’s entitled to have his arm fixed as soon as possible, just as anyone is entitled to a cast if they break a bone. However, he also knows that the reason that they even left the compound today was to give the only person he trusts to fix his arm space to grieve. 

Asking Tony to fix the arm that killed his father on the anniversary of his death seems like a special kind of torture. 

He doesn’t have a choice, though, because as soon as Steve steps out of the car into the parking garage, he snitches to Jarvis, and then Tony actually says for him to go, and. 

And. 

So he goes.

▲▼▲

DUM-E lets out a confused beep when Tony leaves the mound of blankets on his workshop couch to spin in a chair instead. All the man knows is that Bucky’s arm isn’t working (????) yet he and Steve seem otherwise fine, but he’s worried. To keep himself busy, he comes up with increasingly far-fetched explanations for what happened. 

He’s distracted from his train of thought by the door opening, and then suddenly the super soldier is standing in front of Tony in all his stoic glory. 

“Hey,” he says. 

~~ (It’s stupid, how much the one word makes Tony's chest feel lighter.) ~~

Standing up, Tony returns the greeting. “Hey yourself, Snowflake. J, scan his arm for me, will you?” Gesturing for Bucky to sit, he grabs some tools while continuing. “So, do you wanna tell me what happened, or am I gonna have to guess? One of my theories involved a goose, I’ll have you know.” 

Bucky smiles and shrugs, and then makes a face when only his right arm moves. “A sidewalk, actually.” 

Tony wanders back over, sits on the bench next to Bucky, and nods sagely. “They get even the best of us.” 

From there, the two settle into quiet, with Tony’s music playing in the background. Occasionally, he would ask Jarvis or Bucky something, but for the most part, they maintain a companionable silence. There’s honestly no difference from any other time they’ve been in this same position.

As time progresses, tension visibly leaks out of the man working, and for the life of him Bucky can’t figure out why. He also can’t figure out why, after he regained motor function, Tony doesn’t send him on his way, but instead continues doing… whatever he’s doing. Sure, they’re kind of maybe friends, but…  _???? _ Today?

“Why are you doing this?” 

And maybe he hit his head, too, because his brain-to-mouth filter is shot. 

Tony pauses his ministrations to look at him, exuding caution. “‘This,’ as in, fixing your arm?” A nod. “Because, Tastee-Freez, it’s my job.” 

Bucky knows he shouldn’t push it. He  _ knows, _ and as the words come out he wants to take them back. “I know that, but… I mean, how can you stand to look at me right now?” 

If he thought Tony was still before, he was a statue now. Bucky opens his mouth to apologize, to say he’ll go, but the man in front of him speaks in barely more than a whisper. “Just because it was your hands doesn’t mean you weren’t a victim of HYDRA, too.” 

Tony watches as the super soldier processes his words, and his expression is heart wrenching. And so, he does the only thing he can think of, and pulls him into a hug. 

“Shouldn’t I be comforting you?” Bucky asks, with a watery chuckle. 

Tony replies with one of his own, tipping his head back and forth. “You have been, just by being here. I’ve never… Every year, without fail, I’d always had someone with me, today.” 

At his words, Bucky pulls away just enough to see his face. “You mean you let us all leave even though—?” Tony looks away, squirming. “We left because we figured you’d want to be alone, today.” 

That… okay, yeah, Tony could see why they would think that. He did tend to isolate himself instead of talking to anyone. He said as much, too, and Bucky replied by pulling him back to his chest. 

Neither of them knew how long they stayed in their embrace, but it was significant enough for DUM-E to deem them in need of a blanket. 

(He got caught in it trying to bring it over, but it’s the thought that counts.)

**Author's Note:**

> yes i know bucky's arm wouldn't break that easily but this is Fiction i can do what i WANT  
> if it wasn't clear i meant that he hit his shoulder on the corner ledge thing of a sidewalk btw. i just don't know if there's an actual name and didn't want to make bucky call it a sidewalk corner ledge thing  
> anyway dum-e ships them bye
> 
> also i feel like the ending is abrupt but i can't be bothered to fix it so .


End file.
